Requiem: Tears
by Merciful Heavens
Summary: In a touching final show of love, a woman saves the man she loves. Note- death, blood and grief is detailed- Chapter 3 is optional... ADMM
1. Tears of Grief

**Author's Note- This story is fairly self-explanatory. I do not own the book, which the characters are derived from. Robert Louis Stevenson owns the poem, Requiem, masterpiece that it is. Please review and please enjoy…**

Silence echoed through the room as though its occupants had suddenly lost the ability to speak. The wind that rustled the curtains whispered the unsaid feelings of grief. A soft snap coming from the whipping tangled curtains broke the silence but did nothing to the emptiness of the room.

The bedroom was simple; a bed, a desk and a single dresser. Two silent people were in the room, finishing the simplicity by the humble way they commanded respect, even alone.

"You'll have to be leaving soon." The man in the bed whispered. His chest rose slowly to take in the life continuing air. "You can not stay here." The woman he was speaking to said nothing. She simply stood beside the bed and stared down at the heavy hand that she grasped in her own pale hands.

"They will not come." She said simply, not even looking up. "I will not let you die alone." A lone tear stained a wet streak down her un-naturally pale cheek. The man smiled and sighed.

"I knew you would never leave me, Tabby." He said softly, weak confidence lacing his words. The woman's facial expressions did not change as the man's did. Although he took great joy and peace from her decision to remain; she herself found it harder than any other task her had ever done. Watching her husband die was not something she wanted to do; yet it was something she had to do. Because she loved him.

The man sighed deeply as he watched his wife's tear drip down her face. He had never seen her cry before. Although once he had told her it was all right to cry around him; she had not taken his advice as she usually did. No, he though sadly, she hated to cause me grief. Seeing the tear that she shed for him now brought him more joy than grief. The truth that his wife was willing to sit by his side to the end was comfortingly restful.

"I love you, Minerva." The man says finally, smiling. His wife said nothing.

Time passes slowly as though it was holding back the inevitable. Finally Albus felt the pain he had had since lying down subside. Soon it would be over. The greatest wizard since Merlin, himself, would join the honored dead.

"This is the end, Tabby." He whispered. Minerva nodded nonchalantly. Albus reached out his hand that his wife did not hold and stroked her cheek. She pressed her face closer to its comforting palm. Suddenly the hand became limp and it fell to hang over the side of the bed.

Minerva said nothing as she picked the dangling arm up from the bed and rearranged it. Soon she had her dying husband arranged with great dignity. With a finishing gesture of straightening his pillow, Minerva sunk down to the floor's cold stone.

Shock registered on her white face as she sat. No tears betrayed her grief as no sobs wracked her small frame. Even in the presence of great distress, Minerva would not allow herself the merciless relief of giving into her grief. It was not a weakness to cry; yet she did not view it as a strength either.

Gripping the edge of the bed sheet, she pulled herself up into a standing position. Her eyes misted slightly at the sight of her husband, but no tears formed.

Minerva drew a vial from her robe's pocket and gently removed its topper. Its potent contents quickly filled the room with a pungent odor. Ignoring its fumes, she set it down on the bed frame's wooden edge. Reaching back into her pocket, her retrieved a small knife, barely longer than four inches.

Taking a deep breath for self-control, Minerva brought the knife over her left hand. With a quick slashing action, she cut into her palm. Although pain tried to make its way to her brain, it was ignored by the numbness that she felt. Several drops of her blood dripped to the floor as she picked the vial back up.

Placing her bleeding hand over its top, she watched five red droplets hang in mid air for a split second and then melt into the vial's contents. A hiss echoed from the vial and a thin trail of steam escaped the top.

_"Under the wide and starry sky_

_Dig the grave and let me die:_

_Glad did I live and gladly die,_

_And I laid me down with will._

_This be the verse you grave for me:_

_Here he lies where he long'd to be;_

_Home is the sailor, home from the sea,_

_And the hunter home from the hill."_

Minerva smiled as she finished murmuring the poem and opened her husband's mouth. The potion easily trickled into the wizard's mouth and down his throat. The sound of breaking glass resounded through the room as Minerva dropped the vial. Her strength was already waning, even as Albus' was waxing. She slowly began to sink to the floor as she watched the colour return to his ashen face. His eyes flickered open as hers closed. Darkness consumed her as light flooded his senses.

Albus opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt as though he had just awoke from a good night sleep. Stretching and sitting up, he looked around the familiar room. It was then that he noticed the crumpled body of his wife. Scrambling out of the bed, Albus gathered Minerva into his arms. She was barely breathing and blood was pooling on the floor from her mouth and nose. Her ebony coloured hair had fallen loose from its confines, creating a scene that Achilles himself would have compared it to the death of Penthesilea, the Amazon queen.

Tears slipped down Albus' face as he saw the broken vial. Instantly he knew what his fearless wife had done for him. She had traded her life force to him for his; only she would die slower as she had been healthier than he had been on his deathbed. Death seemed to fight for her life as her temperature flared and dropped in violent bursts.

"Why did you do this, my dear?" Albus whispered, sobbing. Minerva's eyes fluttered open and she opened her mouth.

"They need you." She sighed softly. Albus shook his head.

"I was suppose to die, Minerva. Not you." She smiled.

"Defeat. Voldemort." She whispered, ironically calling the dark lord a name she had rarely even thought.

Albus nodded. "I am not going to let you die, my dear." His words went unheard, as his wife had already disobeyed her final order.


	2. Tears of Love

**SylvaDragon requested another chapter- here it is…please review**

Albus sat on the cold stone floor, his arms holding the limp form of his beloved wife. Although the blood that had drained from her body stained her face, even in death, she was lovely. Gathering his renewed strength, Albus pulled himself up onto his feet. He laid Minerva out on the bed that he had only moment before occupied. It was cruelly ironic that his wife lay now where he should have.

"I shall miss you so." He whispered kissing her pale cheek. A fresh wave of tears began to trickle down the grieving wizard's face.

Picking Minerva's hand up in his and holding it gently, Albus ran a finger across the dash that she had used to save his life. His eyes strayed over to the dagger that had fallen onto the floor. For a brief moment, he contemplated using the knife. However, his wife had given her life to save his; to kill himself would be akin to making her sacrifice worthless.

"You were the one I wanted to live, my dear." He cried, softly running a hand over her thick black hair. "I was suppose to die. You should have asked me." But deep down, he knew that Minerva had known what he wanted.

The door of the bedroom opened softly, allowing the mediwitch to enter. Her eyes scanned the room and quickly filled with tears. She had been expecting to find Albus Dumbledore laid out, lifeless on the bed, his dear friend, Minerva McGonagall weeping or standing silently by his side. The sight of switched arrangement caused her to gasp.

"Albus?" she whispered, trying to understand what had happened. Albus turned his tear stained face toward her.

"She switched our body force. Poppy she gave me her life." Poppy bit her lip to keep herself from replying and slowly made her way over to the bed.

For a long drawn out moment both were silent. All that could be said had already been said. Comfort or encouragement were both out of the question. How did one comfort a man who'd seen his world die? How did one encourage a man who'd lost his life through his love giving her life to him?

Suddenly, Poppy gasped. Albus cast her a sideways glance but said nothing.

"Albus, she used a heart potion." Turning, the wizard nodded, not understanding what the mediwitch meant. "No, Albus! A heart potion can work two ways! It can either switch life forces or equally divide them."

"Does this mean that…" Poppy interrupted him.

"Yes, you can save her. Find out what words she said and I'll go get another potion." Dashing from the room, the mediwitch left an overjoyed wizard.

"What did you say, my dear?" Albus asked softly. Using his magic, he entered her mind.

Minerva said nothing as she picked the dangling arm up from the bed and rearranged it. Soon she had her dying husband arranged with great dignity. With a finishing gesture of straightening his pillow, Minerva sunk down to the floor's cold stone.

_Shock registered on her white face as she sat. No tears betrayed her grief as no sobs wracked her small frame. Even in the presence of great distress, Minerva would not allow herself the merciless relief of giving into her grief. It pained Albus to see his wife not give into her grief. Then again, he thought, she had no plans for letting me die._

_Gripping the edge of the bed sheet, she pulled herself up into a standing position. Her eyes misted slightly at the sight of her husband, but no tears formed._

_Minerva drew a vial from her robe's pocket and gently removed its topper. Its potent contents quickly filled the room with a pungent odor. Ignoring its fumes, she set it down on the bed frame's wooden edge. Reaching back into her pocket, her retrieved a small knife, barely longer than four inches._

_Taking a deep breath for self-control, Minerva brought the knife over her left hand. Albus flinched as she cut into her palm. Although pain tried to make its way to her brain, it was ignored by the numbness that she felt. Several drops of her blood dripped to the floor as she picked the vial back up._

_Albus watched five red droplets hang in mid air for a split second and then melt into the vial's contents. Five drops that had saved his life and ended hers. _

_"Under the wide and starry sky_

_Dig the grave and let me die:_

_Glad did I live and gladly die,_

_And I laid me down with will._

_This be the verse you grave for me:_

_Here he lies where he long'd to be;_

_Home is the sailor, home from the sea,_

_And the hunter home from the hill."_

_Minerva smiled as she finished murmuring the poem and opened her husband's mouth. The potion easily trickled into the wizard's mouth and down his throat. The sound of breaking glass resounded through the room as Minerva dropped the vial. Her strength was already waning, even as Albus' was waxing. She slowly began to sink to the floor as she watched the colour return to his ashen face. His eyes flickered open as hers closed. Darkness consumed her as light flooded his senses._

Albus pulled his mind out of hers. Never had he witnessed such devotion, such love. Minerva had given every bit of herself for him. Her whole life by his side; her whole life to save his.

"Did you find out?" Poppy said suddenly, startling Albus.

"Yes."

"Good, then take this potion, put both of your blood into it, say the same words and drink it." She handed him a vial.

"I drink it?"

"Yes. I will come back after it's done." Poppy turned to make her way back to the door but froze. "Albus." She whispered, suddenly quiet. "It won't work."

Albus felt his whole world shake once more as the simple words left Poppy's mouth. How could I have thought it could have worked? He thought bitterly.

"You have to share a bond. I know you were good friends, Albus but…" she never finished as a smile twisted out of the deep frown Albus had had. Thinking that the man had snapped, Poppy reached out to help him. He began to laugh as the joy swept over him. He could save her! He could save her! That was all that mattered.

"Albus?" Poppy questioned, pity flooding her eyes.

"Poppy. Minerva and I have a bond. A bond through love." Confusion flittered across the mediwitch's face as light on a wall. "We are married. And have been the past 50 years or more."

"Oh! That's…that's." Poppy faltered as the true meaning to his words hit home. "Wonderful. But quickly, Albus. Time is running out." Poppy smiled and hurried from the room, thankful to know that her friend had indeed married the only man she had ever loved.

Finally alone, Albus uncorked the vial. The odor caused his stomach to twist but he ignored it. Using his wand, he caused several drops of blood from Minerva's hand to drop into the vial. Then he cut his finger for his own blood. The potion bubbled and hissed as the blood turned it from a colourless liquid to a dark black.

"Under the wide and starry sky

_Dig the grave and let me die:_

_Glad did I live and gladly die,_

_And I laid me down with will._

_This be the verse you grave for me:_

_Here he lies where he long'd to be;_

_Home is the sailor, home from the sea,_

_And the hunter home from the hill."_

The liquid stopping hissing as Albus finished whispering the poem. Taking a second to pray that it would work, he poured the tasteless potion down his throat.

Grey smoke enveloped both Albus and Minerva dividing the life force that Minerva had given Albus. Pain coursed through Albus and he was overwhelmed with the thought that he was experiencing only half of what his wife had gone through.

The smoke cleared and Albus found himself kneeling by the bed. Weakened greatly by the division of his life force, he used the bed frame to pull himself up. Minerva lay on the bed, no change seemed to have occurred.

Tears of despair flooded his eyes and he gathered Minerva into his arms and wept. Weeping for the overwhelming sensation of having failed to save his wife.

"Albus." Said a weak voice. The man in question rose his head. Minerva's eyes had opened.

"I thought it failed." Albus whispered, holding her as tightly as his strength would allow.

"You wept tears of grief, joy and despair. How could it have failed, my love?"

-The Real End-


	3. AN EXTRA CHAPTER

**Author's Note- For some unknown reason…it has been requested of me…that I write a third chapter to kill of Dumbledore and McGonagall…I basically killed them both the first chapter…brought them both back in the second…Sheesh the things you have to do keep everyone happy…Enjoy this is the final final final chapter!**

**Thara June- thank you for your encouragement and reviews…**

**And all the others who reviewed - 100 points to each of you for support…**

_-20 years later-_

Minerva McGonagall did not say anything as her husband of nearly 74 years announced that his death was imminent. There was nothing she could have said that had not already been said before Albus had come to tell everyone else. He was satisfied with the life he had lived. In a way so was she; yet declaring you were going to die was not exactly the way she wanted to go.

She didn't remember what anyone said to her that night. They had all offered their deepest condolences for her soon-to-be loss. Yet they had no idea that she would die the second he died. They had no idea that two of the greatest wizards and witches were going to die together really for the second time. Minerva decided as she was led through the doorway of the hall that she really didn't care what anyone did not know.

Albus had hardly changed a day in the past thirty years; neither had she. Her hair had become streaked with gray but was hardly noticeable. If seemed strange that time passed so quickly when you looked back on it, though it seemed to crawl during the time.

That night Albus sat on their sitting room couch with his arms wrapped tightly around Minerva. She felt numb for the most part and hadn't said a word since that morning. Worried about her, Albus drew her even closer to him, till finally her sat in his lap. It was then that she spoke. Her voice was broken and frightened.

"Why did you give up?" It was a question that broke Albus' heart. Minerva thought he had given up the desire to live and in a way he had. Finally he decided it was time to tell her something he had kept hidden for twenty years.

"Minerva, when you saved my life, I couldn't let you die. So with Poppy's help, I divided our life forces. But as you know life forces can only be divided for so long before they return to the stronger of the two people. If I die…you will receive the whole life force." Minerva said nothing.

The two sat in silence for a long while, thinking on nothing, saying nothing, doing nothing except holding on to each other.

"Promise me you'll let me die." Albus said softly. He felt Minerva head nod as it was buried in his robe front. "Thank you." He lifted her pale face up from his robes and gently traced his finger along her cheekbone.

"I love you so much."

"I know. I love you as well." A faint smile lit Minerva's face. Her hand rested against his chest. Albus leaned down and for a moment they shared a kiss.

"Minerva, promise me…" But she interrupted him with a second kiss…

Death stood by the window in the shadows of the curtains and watched the two. His cold hands gripped the sickle he was infamous for carrying and his faceless head turned to see that the sun was setting. He had been robbed of both the people before him once; only he felt that it wouldn't really be a terrible thing if he were cheated once more.

He watched the man finally rise from the couch and leave the woman alone. She stoically sat where he had left her; her eyes never left the door that he had closed behind him. Death saw the man pick the potion that would end his life up from the desk; walls were nothing to him. He felt the energy and life drain from the man as the potion was consumed.

Turning, Death watched the life force make its way to the woman. She blinked as it entered her and returned her body to its usual level of strength. It seemed as though twenty years were lifted from her body as the gray vanished from her hair and the few wrinkles around her brow smoothed out. But she seemed to take no joy from her renewed youth.

Slowly she rose from the couch and made her way to the door that had sealed her husband's fate. Within moments she stood beside his lifeless body. Then she smiled a smile that chilled Death's black blood stiff.

""Under the wide and starry sky

_Dig the grave and let me die:_

_Glad did I live and gladly die,_

_And I laid me down with will._

_This be the verse you grave for me:_

_Here he lies where he long'd to be;_

_Home is the sailor, home from the sea,_

_And the hunter home from the hill."_

She finished the whispered poem without her voice faltering and was silent. The poem ironically had saved her husband's life first, then it had saved her's second. Now its third usage was her death note.

Taking the potion that she had had in her pocket, she laid down by her husband's side in their bed. It was a slower working potion than the one her husband had used and so she was able to arrange his body. Then she rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes as though she simply desired to go to sleep.

They were found that way; together in a way that showed clearly that they had been married. A whole day of mourning was announced for them and their funeral was so large that no one had been able to count the mourners.

They were laid to rest in a large tomb together with the following inscription in their tombstone:

"Under the wide and starry sky

_Dig the grave and let me die:_

_Glad did I live and gladly die,_

_And I laid me down with will._

_This be the verse you grave for me:_

_Here he lies where he long'd to be;_

_Home is the sailor, home from the sea,_

_And the hunter home from the hill."_

No one knew who carved it there but none dared change it for it was engraved so deeply into the stone that it seemed Death himself had carved it.

**The Very Final Finished End**


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